THIS WEEK'S BOOK WINNER

Thanks to all who stopped by this week at Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers. We hope you'll come back often and also tell your friends about us. We have lots of exciting posts and guests planned for the months ahead. I’d also like to thank Linda O. Johnston for being our Book Club Friday guest and offering a copy of HOWL DEADLY to one of our readers who posted a comment this week. The winner this week is cstironkat. Cstironkat, please email your mailing address to me at anastasiapollack@gmail.com. I’ll forward the information to Linda, and she’ll mail your book to you. 

BOOK CLUB FRIDAY -- GUEST AUTHOR LINDA O. JOHNSTON

Today we welcome author Linda O. Johnston for Book Club Friday. Linda writes across several genres, but the one constant in her writing is that they all somehow involve animals. You can read all about Linda at her website. Leave Linda a comment on the blog today, and you’ll be entered into a drawing for a copy of HOWL DEADLY, the eighth book in her Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mystery. -- AP

GOOD OBSESSIONS

BEAGLEMANIA starts next month!

No, it’s not a rendition of classic rock music with a misspelled twist.  That’s the title of my first Pet Rescue Mystery, a spinoff series from my Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter Mystery series from Berkley Prime Crime.

Unlike Anastasia Pollack here at Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers, or many of the characters featured by my fellow bloggers at Killer Hobbies, my protagonist Lauren Vancouver isn’t a crafter, nor does she partake in other hobbies.  Her entire life centers around saving animals.

I was invited to blog at Killer Hobbies years ago, thanks to my Kendra series.  My main topic was to be pets.  But as I said then and always repeat, pets aren’t hobbies, they’re family.

To Lauren, they’re also an obsession--in a good way.  She’ll do anything to save animals. 

BEAGLEMANIA begins with a rescue from a puppy mill.  Some of Lauren's later adventures will involve an animal hoarder and a shelter that takes in unadoptable pets. 

I’m really pleased to be blogging here at Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers and admit to being intrigued by both.  Once upon a time, I was a crafter.  I hooked rugs, and was obsessed by it.  I also often sewed my own clothes.   I admit that I’d love to hook another rug one of these days, but haven’t yet undertaken it.  Now, I focus more on crafty killers--in writing my mysteries. 

When I began researching my new series, I met with pet rescuers of many kinds.   I visited shelters, both public and private.  I talked to people.  Met animals.

Found my new obsession. 

Now I volunteer at a private shelter, Pet Orphans of Southern California.  I’m a dog adoption counselor, which means I both screen potential adopters and introduce them to dogs they might fall in love with. 

I’m also the Los Angeles Pet Rescue Examiner, for the Examiner.com website.

If helping to save animals isn’t a good obsession, what is?

I’ll be giving away a copy of HOWL DEADLY, the eighth Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mystery which introduces Lauren Vancouver, to one person who comments on this post.  Tell me all about your obsessions... and if they happen to involve animals, all the better!

Thanks for stopping by today, Linda! Readers, don’t forget to post a comment to enter the drawing for HOWL DEADLY and check back Sunday to see if you're the winner. -- AP